 |
||
| July 2009 IN THIS ISSUE
NPC QUICK LINKS Neighborhood Parks Council
451 Hayes Street, 2nd Floor San Francisco, CA 94102 PHONE: 415.621.3260, FAX: 415.703.0889 Click here to email NPC. Click here to find out how to take public transportation to our office. SUPPORT NPC  Click here to see NPC's 2009 supporters.  Thanks to NPC’s 2009 Presenting Sponsor   GET INVOLVED Click here to check out NPC's volunteer opportunities on Volunteer Match. |
NPC NEWS |
|
Leadership Change at NPC  The leadership of NPC has reached an important moment of transition. As our founding Executive Director, Isabel Wade, moves on and passes the torch to Meredith Thomas, both of these remarkable leaders have messages for our coalition. Click here to read their greetings. Save the Date: NPC’s Annual Gala/Tribute to Isabel Wade  Join us in celebration of San Francisco's neighborhood parks and the incredible advocacy career of Isabel Wade at NPC's 2009 Gala, "Celebration of Green." “Celebration of Green”, Friday, September 11, 2009, 1 Fort Mason 5:30 PM: Intimate dinner and roast (Space is limited) 8:30 PM: Party (Dessert, champagne, cocktails, dancing, and fabulous performances) To buy tickets to the dinner or party (or both!), click the yellow button below.  |
||
| ACTION ALERT | ||
 Support the State Parks Access Pass We know that many of you have been following the arc of California's budget crisis, and the risk it is posing to our beloved state park system. Supporting the State Park Access Pass is a big way you can show your support for your state parks. Click here to learn more about the Access Pass, sign a petition to support it, and take additional action. You can also read recent news stories about state parks here. |
||
 NPC To Host Community Picnic On July 4thNPC and Alexander Leff will host a community picnic on Saturday, July 4th in Muriel Leff Mini Park. The park is located on 7th Avenue between Geary and Anza, behind the Richmond Police Station. The picnic, free to the community, will celebrate Alexander's mother, Muriel, who was born on July 4th. Muriel was a dedicated steward of this inner Richmond green space. Join us between 12 and 2 PM on July 4th for free food and activities for kids. Juicy burgers generously donated by Hearst Ranch! If you would like to help with set up or clean up, please contact Mikki Sulanchupakorn: mikki@sfnpc.org, (415) 621-3260. Click here for a flier.  Restroom Task Force Draft Report Ready for FeedbackThe 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond allocates $11.4 Million for restroom improvements and the construction of several new restrooms. A Restroom Task Force has been created to gather community input and determine locations for these improvements. The Task Force has now released its draft report. To download the report, and find out how you can submit feedback, click here. Deadline for feedback is July 27th. Each of the designated restroom projects will have an associated community planning process to discuss specific issues related to that individual facility. Providing your feedback now and signing up to receive updates will ensure RPD knows how to contact you if your park is involved with this project. You Are Invited To NPC’s Summer Social: Wednesday, July 8th  NPC invites you to celebrate your parks and community at our Summer Social on July 8th from 5:30-7:30 PM. The event will take place at Patricia's Green in Hayes Valley (Hayes Street and Octavia Boulevard). Come meet incoming RPD General Manager Phil Ginsburg and other RPD staff, and support park advocates set to be honored by NPC. To RSVP and see a list of honorees, click here. Newsom Announces New GM of Rec and Park On June 2nd, NPC held its annual Meeting with the Mayor at San Francisco’s City Hall. Over 75 park advocates attended, and 8 representatives posed questions on topics including park maintenance, volunteerism, partnerships, and alternative recreation. Mayor Newsom officially announced the new General Manager of RPD, Phil Ginsburg, who was his former Chief of Staff. After the Q&A session, everyone joined in a reception for Isabel Wade. Click here to read more and see photos from the meeting. |
||
 This month we honor Craig Dawson, the founder of Mount Sutro Stewards. Mt. Sutro is a 61-acre eucalyptus forest west of Twin Peaks. It represents a portion of the original land grant from Mayor Adolph Sutro for USF, and the land is still owned by the University today. Click here to read about what Craig dreams for the future of this largely unknown green space in the middle of the city. |
||
Mayor’s Open Space Task Force Review of Second ROSE Draft Hosted by NPC and SPUR  On June 17th NPC and the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) hosted a workgroup of community and organizational leaders to discuss the latest draft of the Recreation and Open Space Element (ROSE). The ROSE defines policy related to establishing a high performing open space system for the City. Click here to read about the conclusion of ROSE update process. Open Space Survey Results Tallied Thank you to everyone who took the Open Space Survey. View the survey results here. Playground Initiative Bond Renovations Engage Playground Community  Photo Credit: parkbonds.sfgov.org The first stage of the 2008 Clean & Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond has begun! City project managers and architects have been hard at work drafting initial site plans for playground renovations funded by the Bond. A crucial part of these projects is the community engagement process. Click here to read about The Friends of Fulton Playground, a group formed in June with the mission of contributing to the process of playground design. See how you can get involved! ParkScan 311 & ParkScan Collaboration Increases Close-out Rates May marked the first month of the partnership between ParkScan and 311. Thanks to ParkScan, the number of park-related reports entering 311’s work order system has multiplied, and the number of issues addressed or “closed” has also increased. For example, in April only 31% of the month’s ParkScan observations had been closed, but in May the percentage jumped to 54%. Analysis of all ParkScans submitted in May showed that users reported graffiti more often than any other issue. Weeds, broken/damaged park structures, and garbage/litter/dumping were also frequently reported. Don’t forget to keep ParkScanning to help address these problems! We also encourage you to work with the Recreation and Parks Department to hold a volunteer cleanup in your park. Blue Greenway Pier 70 Master Plan Workshop: July 29th The Port of San Francisco is conducting a public planning process to develop a preferred master plan for the entire 65-acre site of Pier 70. A public workshop will be held on Wednesday, July 29, 2009. For more information about the meeting, check the Port's website (sfport.com) or contact David Beaupre at david.Beaupre@sfport.com. America True Youth Day: August 15th Please join America True and the India Basin, Bayview and Hunter’s Point communities on August 15th for a day of great food and fun in the sun at India Basin Shoreline Park. Meet Dawn Riley, a Champion America’s Cup Sailor and other outstanding leaders who will guide participants through an adventurous day of sailing and kayaking! More details and a flier here. |
||
 Armed with shovels for National Trails Day on June 6th, over seventy volunteers came out to Mt. Sutro to construct the Edgewood Trail. This was the first joint project between the UCSF Mt. Sutro Open Space Reserve and RPD. Click here to read the complete article. |
||
Give Rec and Park’s New General Manager a Running Start!
 Do you have an idea to improve our parks? Phil Ginsburg, Rec and Park’s new General Manager who starts July 7th, is soliciting the public’s ideas and support for 100 simple things he can do to make an important difference in our parks. The top three winning ideas will receive a Running Start Grant, and winners will have a private meeting with Phil. Ideas must be submitted by July 31st. Visit http://www.sfnpc.org/runningstartfund for more information and to find out how to submit. Phil is running the SF Marathon on July 26th and is inviting the community to support these park improvements by pledging to the Running Start Fund for each mile that he runs. Help Phil get a running start by clicking here to make your donation today! Farm Fresh To You  Neighborhood Parks Council would like to thank Farm Fresh To You (FFTY) for donating delicious fruits and vegetables for the Mayor’s Meeting in June. FFTY delivers organic produce grown on their family-run farm in the Capay Valley. You can receive deliveries at your home or office as frequently as you choose, and you can even customize your delivery to exclude items you don’t like. For details about their service, click here. NPC Enews readers will receive a $10 discount on their first order (use promotional code 8527.) |
||
 For this month’s I Love My Park interview with Mrs. River and her daugher Sol in Koshland Park, click here. |
||
Join Oversight Committee for Recreational Programming RFP Rec and Park is considering leasing out four clubhouses (Cow Hollow, Laurel Hill, Louis Sutter, and Merced Heights) to community partners that can provide recreational programming. As part of RFP process, Rec and Park is creating an oversight committee to solicit input and feedback from community members to ensure the public’s recreational needs are met. If you are interested in participating in this committee, or for more information, please contact Tom Hart of the Property Management Division: Tom.Hart@sfgov.org. RPD Capital Project Updates The Harvey Milk Recreational Arts Center at Duboce Park reopened on June 20th. For a complete list of opening and closure dates for RPD capital projects, click here. Keep Up With RPD Commission Meetings: 1st and 3rd Thursday of Every Month, start times vary Note: The July 2nd meeting of the Rec and Park Commission has been cancelled. Click here for up-to-date schedules of Commission meetings. Public comment is now at the beginning and end of every meeting. |
||
You can find the complete schedule of park workdays and contact information on our website: http://www.sfnpc.org/currentworkdays |
||
Community Meeting for Mission Playground Renovation: Wednesday, July 1st NPC Summer Social: Wednesday, July 8th Sunday Streets in the Mission: Sunday, July 19th (Mission) Victoria Manalo Draves Park Cleanup: July 26th See the complete community event calendar for July here. |
||
Remembering Tony Patch A dedicated park advocate, San Francisco native Tony Patch suddenly passed away on June 27th. Tony worked tirelessly to “keep Camp Mather a family institution that touches the lives of many people.” He served as the Vice President of the Friends of Camp Mather, and “Mr. Mather”, as he was known, was also a regular at City Hall and Rec & Park Commission meetings, championing the repair and revitalization of the camp. He will be deeply missed by those that knew him. Garfield Square Newsletter: Hot Off the Presses! If you have visited Garfield Square Park lately, you might have noticed copies of The Mezcla, a new neighborhood newsletter. Conceived as a community-building project by neighbor Seth Garz, it is available both in English and Spanish. Click here to read the first issue. Anyone in the community is welcome to contribute articles, poems, photos, etc. to garfield_newsletter@gmail.com. Or drop submissions in the manila envelope inside the Rec Center. Workdays Help Parks and People  A wonderful consequence of park cleanup days is that they make improvements to our open spaces, while at the same time building community, bonding neighbors, and bringing personal benefits. On a recent Saturday morning, a group of residents from a long-term residential drug and alcohol treatment program in the NOPA neighborhood volunteered to clean up the Panhandle. Click here to read how some of them found working outdoors to help them on their road to recovery. Corbett Heights Neighbors Celebrate the Sky  In a city as dense as San Francisco, being able to gaze up at a clear sky, unobscured by unsightly telephone wires, is a rare opportunity. Last month, neighbors in Corbett Heights gathered to celebrate their clear sky, thanks to a utility undergrounding project that started 30 years ago. Click here to read the full article by NPC volunteer, Michelle Gantos. Seeking Contributions of Park News Calling all park groups! Do you have a story about your park that you would like us to convey in our monthly E-news? Submit your text to Lucien Sonder at lsonder@sfnpc.org by the 20th of each month. |
||
To read all recent park-related news headlines,